And, now, a new page launched on OpenSecrets.org gives you the highlights of the 2010 election, so you can see for yourself who gave money, who got money and much, much more.

Want to know which campaigns in the House and Senate spent the most money? What about which candidates reached deepest into their own pockets to support their fellow members of congress? The Center for Responsive Politics has you covered.

Here’s a taste of what you’ll find:

For instance, running for office costs more than a pretty penny — both for winners and for losers.

According to the Center’s research, the average winner of a U.S. House race in 2010 spent $1.4 million.

That’s about one-seventh of what the average winner of a U.S. Senate race spent, which clocked in at $9.8 million.

For the House, that’s a slight increase above the average $1.37 million spent during the 2008 election. And for the Senate, spending this time around was higher than in 2008 by about $1.3 million, but close to the average amount spent during the 2006 election, the Center’s data shows.

In contrast, the average loser in a House race spent about $680,000. And the average loser in U.S. Senate races spent $6.5 million.

Meanwhile, House Tea Party founder Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) ran the most expensive campaign, high above the average, at more than $11.6 million.

And even though money often matters, the most expensive Senate campaign didn’t result in a win.

Republican Linda McMahon of Connecticut, the former chief executive officer of World Wrestling Entertainment, spent more than $50 million of her own money to finance her unsuccessful campaign. McMahon ultimately lost to Democrat Richard Blumenthal.

One of the most surprising pieces of data is the number of House races in which the margin of victory was less than 10 percent.

During the 2010 election, 79 House races were that close. That’s nearly twice as many of “close” races in 2008. Not since the 1996 election cycle have so many House races been so competitive. (On average, since the 1990 election, 59 House races have resulted in less than a 10 percent margin of victory.)

But election season isn’t just a time for candidates to raise as much money as possible. For some, it’s about giving, too — especially those attempting to gain clout among colleagues.

Candidates may donate $2,000 from their own campaign accounts to other candidates, and up to $5,000 from their leadership PACs, per election.

Rep. Eric Cantor (R-Va.) gave more than $1.77 million to other politicians during the 2010 election cycle. Cantor, at the time, was the House minority whip, and he has since ascended to House minority leader — the No. 2 job behind the speaker of the House.

Right behind Cantor are now-Speaker of the House John Boehner (R-Ohio) and now-House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer (D-Md.), who each contributed about $1.5 million to fellow candidates. During the 111th Congress last year, Boehner was House minority leader and Hoyer was House majority leader.

Meanwhile, then-House Majority Whip James Clyburn (D-S.C.) gave about $1.47 million and then-Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) gave about $1.16 million.

Notably, Mitt Romney, undoubtedly planning ahead for his 2012 presidential campaign, made about $800,000 in contributions to congressional candidates. And Sarah Palin, the 2008 Republican vice presidential nominee who is still toying with a presidential run, contributed about $460,000 to candidates.

Missouri Republican Senate candidate Roy Blunt was the top recipient of candidate cash, receiving about $624,000 from fellow politicians and their leadership PACs. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) — who faced his own contentious re-election, ranked fifth, bringing in $400,000 from other candidates and leadership PACs.

Overall, about 38 percent of the money raised by House candidates came from political action committees, about 47 percent came from large individual donors, and 9 percent came from small-dollar donors who made contributions of $200 or less, according to the Center’s research.

In Senate races, significantly less came from PACs, at 15 percent. Large donors made up 53 percent of money raised by Senate candidates and about 12 percent came from small-dollar donors.

Senate races also saw more personal financing than House races, with about 11 percent of money raised coming from candidates’ own pockets. Only about 3 percent of the money raised by House candidates came from self-financing.

The Center’s research also breaks down where cash came from in terms of zip code, metropolitan area and state.

Individuals contributing more than $200 to candidates, parties or PACs from the District of Columbia collectively gave $262 million — more than any state.

Donations from California residents ranked second, at $196 million. New York, Texas and Virginia were also in the top five.

Media Contact

Viveca Novak
(202) 354-0111
press@crp.org

Search

Archives

Categories

Count Cash & Make Change.

OpenSecrets.org is your nonpartisan guide to money's influence on U.S. elections and
public policy. Whether you're a voter, journalist, activist, student or interested citizen,
use our free site to shine light on your government.